Thursday, May 29, 2014

Dresses vs Trousers: Sewing Meet Up Dress Code?

So, after a week of vacation with Phin, I'm back home. Two and a half weeks in Europe means the jet lag is lingering, and I'm still reflecting on the epic meet up in London.

One thing that stood out to me at the NYLon meet up was that about 64 of the 71 attendees wore dresses or skirt ensembles. There was an army of beautiful Anna's, which I suppose was a propos, and other By Hand London, Colette and Sewaholic patterns were represented, too. However, this left those of us wearing trousers or jumpsuits in the distinct minority.

I'd be tempted to attribute this to the meet up taking place on the first truly nice spring day in London. It was the perfect day to finally don a pretty frock after a long winter. However, I've been to too many meet ups to chalk this up simply to nice weather. It's definitely a trend - wearing self-sewn dresses to meet ups. And I'm eager for your thoughts.

Why is it we choose dresses for meetups? Is it that a pretty dress is a sewists' calling card - the garment that we are most proud of? Is it that most of us don't have enough occasions to wear those pretty dresses that we sew and this is an opportunity to pull out our frosting?

Or does it have to do with our fear of sewing trousers? When you look around the blogosphere, it does seem like we sew more dresses than trousers. As a community, I think we build trouser sewing up into something challenging and scary. Even experienced sewists sometimes approach pants with apprehension. So, is it that we are not sewing as many trousers? Or that we are not as happy with the final results of our trouser sewing? I have to say, I was truly impressed with with jumpsuits worn by Clare of Sew Dixie Lou and Nicole Needles - both took some real skill and looked incredibly chic.

Lastly, how do you decide what to wear to a sewing meet up? I confess that there was a pre-NYLon fashion show at the flat where we all oohed and aahed and decided what to wear. We also discussed that there is some (self-imposed?) pressure when it comes to dressing for a meet up. I generally end up wearing something I've sewn recently, am proud of and feel great in. In the end, I was totally happy with my "very Clio" outfit, as DevviePuu put it. I'm definitely more proud of the blue trousers I wore than of just about any dress I've sewn - a ton of work went into them, they challenged my style, and I really worked on my welt pocket skills for the project. So, for me, the choice was about wearing something that I felt reflected me and my sewing skills - a garment that I would be happy to talk about to others.

Anyway, what are your thoughts? Why do you think we favor dresses over trousers? Do you feel meet-up outfit pressure? How do you decided what to wear to meet other sewists?

46 comments:

I've noticed this too and I think that there are a lot of factors. There are much more dress patterns out there than anything else, they have more of a wow factor, they are more retro which is the most popular style amongst sewists, and they are harder to wear so I think sewists are always looking for a place to wear them.I'm like you and much prefer a pair of pants or a blazer. I dont wear a ton of dresses and when I do I want to wear heels which makes meetups hard.

Yes, my other outfit choices all involved jackets I've sewn, and it was too warm for them.

I thought about the wow factor, too. And that's definitely true in a non-sewist context, but interestingly with 60ish pretty print dresses present, they all kind of blended together instead of standing out. It was the jumpsuits that caught my eye.

I like to wear dresses to meet ups because those are what I make most often. I've made a few pairs of pants/jeans but I usually buy them. Also meet ups often happen in warmer weather, ie. MPB day and it's just too hot to cover my legs. I also pretty much only wear jeans to work so it's nice once in awhile to dress up. In any case, we should all wear what makes us happy/comfortable.

Me Made May has been interesting in this same way: I wear mostly pants and tops or jackets I've made — but I see lots of sewists wearing their dresses daily. The dresses I have made are mostly too fancy or fussy to wear to anything other than the event they were intended for (and like Kelli notes, should all be worn with heels). I don't tend to sew a lot of dresses because they don't fit in my daily life, and I like to sew things I will be happy to wear all the time.

I think the meetup pressure for me would be making/wearing an entire me-made OUTFIT. I would feel weird if someone commented on my shirt like "did you make that?!" and i'm all like "...no" lol and my pants go unrecognized lolidk. a dress is already an outfit by itself. No need to coordinate or think too hard about matching. That's why I like dresses mostly. I'd wear them every day if the weather allowed.

Ooh, that's a great point that I hadn't considered! I guess my thinking is that as long as I sewed the most interesting garment in my outfit - the one that people will ask about - then it's all good. I hadn't considered the pressure to sew a whole outfit being a factor. But I totally see your point!

i think this ties in to a few other things we've been talking about lately, as in, why are there so many pretty pretty dress patterns and not a lot of other, more diverse (separates, sportswear) options? personally i wore a skirt because that skirt is top of my favorites list right now, but i could as easily have worn my papercut trousers and been as happy. in fact, MMM has seen me reaching for separates most often, and almost 100% of my london fabric purchases are being turned into separates.

Hmmm, I don't know, I tend to NOT wear dresses for meet-ups. Mostly because I expect to be digging through fabric. And if I have to dig I want to be in pants. I think part of it is that meet-ups I've been to tend to be local for me, so I don't think about dressing up (especially not to go box diving at the Loft - that is hot, gross, sweaty work!). I feel that if I were going somewhere else for a meet up, I would probably want to dress up though. Especially if I were going to NY or London. Faraway places always seem so fabulous and fancy! So maybe it is the perception of the event being special that makes people want to dress special, which often means a dress?

Separates are the way most of us dress most of the time. So, yes, this probably does tie in to all of our other topics. And also about what Pia (Overflowing Stash) quoted from Shop the Garment District this week - “Pattern companies don’t sell patterns; they sell dreams. 75% of patterns purchased never even get opened by the person who purchased them.” I suppose we all want a lifestyle where we'll need pretty dresses for cocktail parties on the patio...

i am happy to dress for a life where i will need pretty dresses all the time because i love to create an excuse to dress up - i just want more options. something more sophisticated - and in this pattern palette that means separates, sportswear and trousers. even marfy fails in this respect - beautiful tops but not much in the trouser department.

Well, can't wear what I haven't made yet. No, the pants / trouser saga is yet to come. Speaking of which did you blog that blue trouser? I can't find it (easily). But I did find your fabulous...Burda Flowered Border Print Pants! Would have loved to see that in person!

Being a commitment-phobe I tend not to make dresses. When I eye up dress patterns I want to split them up into two pieces. So why did I wear a dress to NYlon2014? Because it's the right color! Hands up I've been vain. I took how the colors would look on film into account when I decided on my outfit... Because I read about Rachel arranged official photos at last year's meet up. The dress was the only me-made I have in orange. I don't look so washed out in brighter colors and I'm in an orange & turquoise / teal phase. (And being a knit dress it was comfy!)

As for others, I thought it was a UK thing. If you're into cotton & prints, slightly retro dresses seem to be a great match. The Cath Kidston effect? Those retro dresses I'd imagine are also easier to fit than pants. OK the fitted bodice might be a bit of a pain depending on your figure. But A-line / circle skirt can't go too wrong. Great for beginners, when you need a string of successes to spur you on.

I think there's more pressure for once in a blue moon meet up of all meet ups like this. I took into account whether the me-mades have any interesting pattern design / sewing techniques that might make conversation starters. I'd imagine if you're meeting up regularly the pressure would ease off and you'd just wear what you feel like on the day.

I don't like trousers, and usually wear a dress or skirt when I have the option, but make trousers because I need to wear them to work, I post about them, and look at them on PR and on blogs. I've noticed though, that when people make wardrobe basics, such as classic trousers, in neutral colours, there is very little interest - few comments etc. A pretty dress or a wow coat ( or bright colours in trousers maybe?) gets lots of interest. Bloggers tend to post more often about things in which their readers show interest , so maybe it follows that bloggers meeting other bloggers wear what has been the most popular sort of clothing on their blogs?

I usually wear dresses anyway so wearing them to a meet-up seems natural to me, especially in the warmer months. To me they are low maintenance - it's an outfit all in one! All I own in the trousers department are jeans and I guess I feel my RTW ones are enough for now. However, your post has made me want to sew up some shorts in time for MPB Day. ;)

I prefer dresses because they're a brainless look-good solution. I don't have to hem and haw about coordinates. I just throw on a dress and I'm good to go. I find I only reach for trousers/jeans when it's too chilly for a dress or I'm too lazy to wear tights. And not having managed a meet-up yet, I dunno... but I'd probably submit to being dictated to by the weather. :)

That actually is a pretty compelling theory - people sew and wear what gets the most positive feedback. Trousers and basics get fewer comments than a dress, jacket or coat. Lucky for me, I don't sew basics ;-)

I'm not a huge fan of trousers, in life. I am lazy: In the winter I wear wool pencil skirts with sweaters, and in the summer I toss on full-skirted dresses or skirts with lighter cardigans. Just about everything in my closet goes together, and getting dressed is pretty easy.

You know what, though? I'm bored. I'm bored with the florals and the gathers and the six-dart bodices. I'm bored with the invisible zippers. I'm tired of tabling my more interesting patterns because I can't figure out how to line them. I suppose it's a trade-off, like anything. I do wonder if I was attracted to the sewing community because of my love of dresses, or if at one point I stopped sewing dresses because I love them, and started sewing them because of pattern availability and stash constraints.

I almost always opt for plain-ish slacks/trousers/pants under an interesting blouse or tunic. This is because I am far too lazy to shave my legs on a regular basis. Since I live in a climate where pantyhose is classified as a torture device much of the year, I only wear them in deepest winter. To spare the eyes of the innocent, I cover my gams with fabric most days. Have found myself making more skirts and dresses lately -- you really do get far better airflow under a skirt than up a pant leg! Were I to show up for a sewing meet, it would be more difficult to wear Not Me-made garments than Me-mades. So ... I'd pack all co-ordinates and reversibles, to use smaller luggage.

I have a sewing meetup coming up in 2 weeks (although it'll be just a tiny fraction in size compared to your London one), and I actually hadn't given a thought of what to wear! It probably would have occurred to me 2 days before and would have frantically tried to come up with something quick...and hurried sewing is never a good look. So, thank you for the reminder!

As for what to wear, if it was fall/winter, I'd probably wear trousers. But since I find skirts/dresses cooler in the summer, I'll likely go in that direction.

I mostly wear dresses or skirts at work; mostly leggings on the weekend. Since it was a party (of sorts), I guess most people wanted to dress up, but you're right: probably most haven't made trousers that they are as proud of as their dresses. I just bought the Craftsy class on pant fitting, so maybe I'll graduate from leggings and pull-ons to a well made pair of zip-up trousers. Finally.

I tend to wear dresses most days anyway, so I also wear them to most meet-ups. :-) I just find them easy - a complete all-in-one outfit, chuck on a cardigan and you're sorted. Less thought involved in getting dressed in the morning! ;-) The far rarer times I pull out a skirt or pair of trousers, I tend to leave a hurricane of garments on the bed behind me as I figure out what goes ok with with - what top has the right length/shape/etc to match the waist height of whatever I've pulled out. (That matching-things-up would probably get a lot easier if I wore separates more, but oh well.)

i make dresses and separates and wear dresses and skirts way more both everyday and to meet ups. the one time i wore a skirt and top to a meet up i felt very underdressed! also don't underestimate how unusual such a lovely sunny day was - everyone would have been in dresses anyway! i loved your outfit (and wig!) - it was very you. i need to make some trousers but not got there yet!

I mostly started sewing because I hate wearing pants and could never find skirts and dresses that suited my style and were long enough! (Everything at Modcloth, for example, is short on me!) So I usually wear dresses at meetups because they're most comfortable to me and I think they represent my style the best. At the last Lladybird meetup in NYC though, there were a zillion people wearing Minoru jackets (me included)!

Interesting conversation. I almost exclusively wear pants at home and at work, but I prefer to wear dresses. Sewing meetups are my chance to wear the few dresses that I have, that I like, and that fit me in a way I am comfortable with. I like dresses because they are easy to wear and easy to style. When I go out, I have a hard time piecing together my separates into an outfit I like.

Your NYLon outfit was awesome! I love your pants, and you are right, Clare and Nicole's jumpsuits were very impressive!! I'd be into a jumpsuit, but I still can't figure out that whole bathroom bit.

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Welcome to Clio & Phineas, where I sew and knit, run and bake, and make a mess in general. We even made a baby, Taco. Phin often gets stuck with clean up, especially now that we've had an addition. Feel free to send us an email at Clio[dot]Phineas[at]gmail[dot]com